Cultural Requirements
site
Camellias need free draining soil,
If you are cursed with heavy clay soils all is not lost, laying drains, applying compost and liberal application of gypsum can rectify the problem or you may have to resort to creating raised beds
Digging a hole in heavy clay soil and dumping the plant in it without these will result in the plant swimming in its own pond over winter getting root rot then turning yellow and dying of thirst when the summers sun bakes the soil, as with everything, preparation is the key to success
The sasanquas need sunlight to flower well, in fact most sasanquas do best if they are out in the open
and if planted in a too shady spot will not flower well and be unthirfty
The Japonicas especially the pale flowering one do best in shade (Shade not Gloom)with darker green leaves and the flowers more perfect not ravaged by the burning sun and relentless wind although our collection is used on the farm as shelter belts for our sheep and do well.
Contrary to myth camellias are good forage for livestock and will greedily eat flowers and foliage, and will not kill them, they are our environmentally friendly mulches
Planting
We do most of our planting during autumn, the plants settle in over winter and require less water in the oncoming summer, if you have a good water supply and are disciplined summer plant can be achieved but not recommended
site
Camellias need free draining soil,
If you are cursed with heavy clay soils all is not lost, laying drains, applying compost and liberal application of gypsum can rectify the problem or you may have to resort to creating raised beds
Digging a hole in heavy clay soil and dumping the plant in it without these will result in the plant swimming in its own pond over winter getting root rot then turning yellow and dying of thirst when the summers sun bakes the soil, as with everything, preparation is the key to success
The sasanquas need sunlight to flower well, in fact most sasanquas do best if they are out in the open
and if planted in a too shady spot will not flower well and be unthirfty
The Japonicas especially the pale flowering one do best in shade (Shade not Gloom)with darker green leaves and the flowers more perfect not ravaged by the burning sun and relentless wind although our collection is used on the farm as shelter belts for our sheep and do well.
Contrary to myth camellias are good forage for livestock and will greedily eat flowers and foliage, and will not kill them, they are our environmentally friendly mulches
Planting
We do most of our planting during autumn, the plants settle in over winter and require less water in the oncoming summer, if you have a good water supply and are disciplined summer plant can be achieved but not recommended
Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball, crumble the soil you have dug out next to the hole with your spade or hands
gently remove the plant from the container, sometimes its as easy as tipping it over and taping the edge of the pot other times they only answer is to cut the bag or pot off
run a sharp shade or knife vertically down the side of the root ball about 1 cm in 4 equally spaced places this cuts any roots that have spiralled the pot during its life in the nursery,
gently remove the plant from the container, sometimes its as easy as tipping it over and taping the edge of the pot other times they only answer is to cut the bag or pot off
run a sharp shade or knife vertically down the side of the root ball about 1 cm in 4 equally spaced places this cuts any roots that have spiralled the pot during its life in the nursery,
sounds brutal but it encourages the roots to spread out and is better that than 5 years from now the plant falls over from poor root growth due to the tree throttling itself.
Place the plant in the hole and fill it with the crumbly soil making sure there are no air pockets
giggle the plant to get the top of the rootball level with the ground, gently firm it down with your hands not stamping down with your boots, thats only needed if you have a flock of deranged pukehous who are intent on clear earth policies on your newly plant riparian planting!
I'm not a keen fan of incorporating compost etc into the planting hole, the double width planting hole with crumbly soil encourages the roots to venture, sometimes people put too much compost in and the roots don’t transition to their new home, and they can dry out faster over summer.
we prefer to put the compost on the top for the first few years and let the worms and microbes do their job, this keeps the weeds down and reduces the need to water
put a thick layer of mulch around the plants but keep the stems clear of it as it can cause collar rot, the decaying mulch and all its microbes can start rotting the stem
water well and don't forget to water during the first few summers till they are established
once established they are reasonably drought tolerant providing they are mulched, during one drought we had here in the Horowhenua that went from October to April our paddocks were bare
we lost quite a few exotic and native trees but lost none of our camellias, in fact we had to resort to pruning them to feed to the sheep due to the lack of grass
then sit back, enjoy and reflect that if all goes well in a hundred years someone will come along and admire your beautiful tree
Fertilising
Camellias do best in slightly acidic soils, fortunately New Zealand soils over all are naturally slightly acidic other than the few regions that have limestone based soils
Place the plant in the hole and fill it with the crumbly soil making sure there are no air pockets
giggle the plant to get the top of the rootball level with the ground, gently firm it down with your hands not stamping down with your boots, thats only needed if you have a flock of deranged pukehous who are intent on clear earth policies on your newly plant riparian planting!
I'm not a keen fan of incorporating compost etc into the planting hole, the double width planting hole with crumbly soil encourages the roots to venture, sometimes people put too much compost in and the roots don’t transition to their new home, and they can dry out faster over summer.
we prefer to put the compost on the top for the first few years and let the worms and microbes do their job, this keeps the weeds down and reduces the need to water
put a thick layer of mulch around the plants but keep the stems clear of it as it can cause collar rot, the decaying mulch and all its microbes can start rotting the stem
water well and don't forget to water during the first few summers till they are established
once established they are reasonably drought tolerant providing they are mulched, during one drought we had here in the Horowhenua that went from October to April our paddocks were bare
we lost quite a few exotic and native trees but lost none of our camellias, in fact we had to resort to pruning them to feed to the sheep due to the lack of grass
then sit back, enjoy and reflect that if all goes well in a hundred years someone will come along and admire your beautiful tree
Fertilising
Camellias do best in slightly acidic soils, fortunately New Zealand soils over all are naturally slightly acidic other than the few regions that have limestone based soils
I have never seen a camellia die due to over use of compost or well decayed animal manure
I have seen plenty of them killed by over zealous use of artificial fertilizer, if you use artificial fertilizer use controlled release fertilizer in Autumn and spring only at the manufacturers recommended rate
Seaweed fol
we have been using em1 which basically is a culture of beneficial micro organisms with good results we have two 200litre drums in our greenhouse that we grow them in feeding them on molasses
pests and disease
Camellias are generally pest and disease free if grown in the right position and feed well if you have a problem don't just reach for the sprayer think why its happening ? what's missing? Or what's not quite right? and try to Rectify it
encourage birds and predatory insects in your garden you can buy predatory insects from several places around NZ, and they work well
pests and disease
Camellias are generally pest and disease free if grown in the right position and feed well if you have a problem don't just reach for the sprayer think why its happening ? what's missing? Or what's not quite right? and try to Rectify it
encourage birds and predatory insects in your garden you can buy predatory insects from several places around NZ, and they work well
we tend to a spray a mineral oil mix if we see scale, thirps or other insect populations
building up then six weeks later to break the cycle,
building up then six weeks later to break the cycle,
use mineral oil sprays in the evening when the bees have gone home and its not sunny
and always follow sprays directions, adding a little more won't make it work better ,it tends to end up a disaster, costing more and scorching leaves.
pruning
Camellia are really easy to prune if you are constrained by space, etc and unlike a lot of plants will sprout new growth from old bare wood, which avoids the problem of dead patches seen on pittosporum or conifer hedges pruned too far back
and always follow sprays directions, adding a little more won't make it work better ,it tends to end up a disaster, costing more and scorching leaves.
pruning
Camellia are really easy to prune if you are constrained by space, etc and unlike a lot of plants will sprout new growth from old bare wood, which avoids the problem of dead patches seen on pittosporum or conifer hedges pruned too far back
pruning is best done after flowering before the growth of spring
always use sharp tools and seal any wounds with pruning paste on anything that bigger than your finger to avoid disease and borer getting in
if you have a large camellia that is just to big for the situation or it's got spindly you can hatrack it, that is in winter you cut the whole tree down to a desired height leaving a good balanced framework by the next summer it will sprout new dense growth but don't forget to keep it the desired level by annual pruning rather than going through the process again in 5 years.